The Return of Arcadia

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Mollag said:

What I can’t understand if bookings are so healthy why are they offering a load more OBC to encourage people surely the prices would be soaring if they were as healthy as they make out

Because budgets are being stretched due to inflation.  Get the bookings in now before the fuel bills arrive next winter.

[Son of Anarchy]

32 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Because budgets are being stretched due to inflation.  Get the bookings in now before the fuel bills arrive next winter.

That's what I keep telling The Ole Lady!

[Dermotsgirl]

26 minutes ago, wowzz said:

We have taken three cruises since Covid restrictions have been relaxed. 

Yes, a cruise is probably "higher" risk,  but in the scale of things, no worse than sitting in an airport for four hours,  going to a crowded pub for a spot of karaoke etc.

My life, my choice.  

No need to be defensive! It’s only a conversation.

 

The difference between a cruise and the other activities you mention is that you don’t spend thousands of pounds to live in close proximity for two weeks or more with the people down the pub or the other favourite example, the supermarket.

 

People invest time and money into their cruises, perhaps people may end up thinking that the investment/risk ratio is skewed to far towards risk, if the current situation on the ships persists. 

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

The number of covid cases in the UK has jumped  over 30% in a week.

Probably safer to be on a cruise then !

[Ardennais]

4 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I typed a reply, but decided not to send it, as it would be deleted as containing too much detail.

 

you must understand about risk after 2.5 years ? Or are you just deflecting as the question is a bit difficult.

 

However, I will be interested in other peoples views, as I wonder if the current situation is sustainable. A bit like the ambulances. When things are stretched too far, the system starts to crumble 

My views have often been aligned with yours over the last two years. We too have enjoyed some cracking breaks closer to home, and to be honest, we put cruising out of our minds. Having said that, I always enjoyed reading about other people’s cruises on here! 

My view now is this - I have already taken a 7 night cruise and have another 7 nighter lined up and another after that which is slightly longer. I am not yet ready to cruise for 14 nights and certainly not for 35 nights. That’s how I handle the risk factor. 

[Yorkypete]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Probably safer to be on a cruise then !

Presumably the  same increase in cruisers as they are part of the general public.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Presumably the  same increase in cruisers as they are part of the general public.

I was being sardonic!

[Dermotsgirl]

8 hours ago, Ardennais said:

My views have often been aligned with yours over the last two years. We too have enjoyed some cracking breaks closer to home, and to be honest, we put cruising out of our minds. Having said that, I always enjoyed reading about other people’s cruises on here! 

My view now is this - I have already taken a 7 night cruise and have another 7 nighter lined up and another after that which is slightly longer. I am not yet ready to cruise for 14 nights and certainly not for 35 nights. That’s how I handle the risk factor. 

That’s similar to how I feel.

 

The cruise we have booked for next year is a 10 night British Isles cruise. We may well end up doing things differently and miss out on some activities that we previously enjoyed, but it will be nice to just be on a ship again 

[Jill85]

Our next cruise is for 19 nights, we will be wearing masks and spending as much time as we can outside! and trying to avoid any place we don't feel safe in - MDR.  We have done 5 days on another ship and we have one booked for Xmas depending on how things are nearer the time.

[FangedRose]

49 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I'm sure you already know this, but the masks need to be of the kn95 type.

Wearing standard "blue" masks will be of no use to you.

Well, that's the ones that have issued to passengers on Arcadia. Isolation passengers have been given ftp2 masks for answering the door.

[arlowood]

The question that is perplexing me is - How are these on board Covid cases detected if there is no regular testing once on board.

1. Are people on board only detected as positive if they become so unwell that they have to involve the medical department?

2. Are staff members approaching those with coughs or other symptoms and asking them to take a test?

3. Are the more altruistic passengers who develop  cough or other symptoms, self-diagnosing and requesting a test to confirm a positive diagnosis?

 

I only ask as OH and I have recently returned from a Saga cruise where there were quite a few cases of passengers being isolated due to a Covid diagnosis. However we never got a real handle on how those people were identified. Additionally there were also quite a few passengers who were coughing and sneezing around the ship and who were apparently suffering from "allergies" or some other affliction.

 

In the absence of routine testing it would seem that cruise companies are relying on the honesty of passengers to self-report if they think they are Covid positive. This situation is always goin to lead to disease spread from those who won't own up to being affected or insist that they have some other ailment.

[FangedRose]

1 hour ago, arlowood said:

The question that is perplexing me is - How are these on board Covid cases detected if there is no regular testing once on board.

1. Are people on board only detected as positive if they become so unwell that they have to involve the medical department?

2. Are staff members approaching those with coughs or other symptoms and asking them to take a test?

3. Are the more altruistic passengers who develop  cough or other symptoms, self-diagnosing and requesting a test to confirm a positive diagnosis?

 

I only ask as OH and I have recently returned from a Saga cruise where there were quite a few cases of passengers being isolated due to a Covid diagnosis. However we never got a real handle on how those people were identified. Additionally there were also quite a few passengers who were coughing and sneezing around the ship and who were apparently suffering from "allergies" or some other affliction.

 

In the absence of routine testing it would seem that cruise companies are relying on the honesty of passengers to self-report if they think they are Covid positive. This situation is always goin to lead to disease spread from those who won't own up to being affected or insist that they have some other ailment.

I was number 3. I had fetched my own test kits onboard, left over from work, assumed my coughing and sneezing was the air con.  Heard rumours so did a test which proved positive much to my shock. Informed medical centre who did their own test and confirmed it.

 

Was a little perturbed (but not surprised) when my table companions (solo traveller, fixed dining, large table) phoned me to find out why I had missed an excursion and dinner. I had assumed (hoped) that some form of test and Trace would have been in operation, and at the very least asked them to take a test. But, I suppose confidentiality comes into it.  During the call with my table mates to take a test because at least one of them had the same symptoms as me, but much worse. I don't know whether they did or not.

Edited July 15, 2022 by FangedRose

[Jill85]

We will be taking our own tests which we have left.  My husband has had covid but I have not.  I was called for another booster in May being on the vulnerable list. I will be reporting it if I prove positive while on our cruise.

[Cristaltips]

56 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

I was number 3. I had fetched my own test kits onboard, left over from work, assumed my coughing and sneezing was the air con.  Heard rumours so did a test which proved positive much to my shock. Informed medical centre who did their own test and confirmed it.

 

Was a little perturbed (but not surprised) when my table companions (solo traveller, fixed dining, large table) phoned me to find out why I had missed an excursion and dinner. I had assumed (hoped) that some form of test and Trace would have been in operation, and at the very least asked them to take a test. But, I suppose confidentiality comes into it.  During the call with my table mates to take a test because at least one of them had the same symptoms as me, but much worse. I don't know whether they did or not.

 whilst on Britannia a couple of weeks ago, we heard of a lady being asked to take a test after she’d bought Strepsils  in the shop!

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, FangedRose said:

Well, that's the ones that have issued to passengers on Arcadia. Isolation passengers have been given ftp2 masks for answering the door.

Makes sense. No point giving expensive masks to those who already have Covid.  Shutting the stable door etc

[Cathygh]

9 hours ago, arlowood said:

The question that is perplexing me is - How are these on board Covid cases detected if there is no regular testing once on board.

1. Are people on board only detected as positive if they become so unwell that they have to involve the medical department?

2. Are staff members approaching those with coughs or other symptoms and asking them to take a test?

3. Are the more altruistic passengers who develop  cough or other symptoms, self-diagnosing and requesting a test to confirm a positive diagnosis?

 

 

 No 3, we felt very guilty about the possibility of infecting someone else so my DH rang medical. However it appears most people think it's an allergy/aircon so don't bother to report their symptoms. Until cruise lines get the message out to passengers that they must report symptoms regardless of a previous history of allergies/cruise cough/aircon. You would think they would be very hot on finding cases so they can protect their staff from illness and put an end to a reduced entertainment and restaurants etc.

BTW, no track and trace on Princess in May as it's very complicated and alot of work, so I was told.

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, Cathygh said:

Until cruise lines get the message out to passengers that they must report symptoms regardless of a previous history of allergies/cruise cough/aircon. You would think they would be very hot on finding cases so they can protect their staff from illness and put an end to a reduced entertainment and restaurants etc.

One of the main reasons why people will not report Covid symptoms, is that social media is full of complaints from cruisers who have tested positive, been moved to isolation cabins, and then been treated in a very poor fashion.

Long waits for food and drink, food arriving cold,  no internet access etc.

And these complaints are common for the majority of cruise lines.

Theoretically,  if I had a "sniffle" would I report it, knowing the repercussions if I did so ?

If cruise lines provided full room service to Covid victims, plus full cash repayment for days spent in quarantine,  people would be more likely to come forward. 

 

[Megabear2]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

One of the main reasons why people will not report Covid symptoms, is that social media is full of complaints from cruisers who have tested positive, been moved to isolation cabins, and then been treated in a very poor fashion.

Long waits for food and drink, food arriving cold,  no internet access etc.

And these complaints are common for the majority of cruise lines.

Theoretically,  if I had a "sniffle" would I report it, knowing the repercussions if I did so ?

If cruise lines provided full room service to Covid victims, plus full cash repayment for days spent in quarantine,  people would be more likely to come forward. 

 

We have several different scenarios depending on where your cruise originates.  Ex Southampton under present rules there is apparently no offloading anywhere en route so absolutely no excuse not to report symptoms.  Those that do not are simply being reckless with the ship's and others welfare.

 

Fly cruising on the other hand is a totally different case. Seeing the Princess covid victims in Rome last week one of the themes I saw in the overhead calls in the medical centre was a lack of information as to what was going to happen.   Listening in the people were ill prepared to be moved into an Italian quarantine hotels as they had not been told of the need. I'm not really sure of P&O's policy for those still testing positive on arrival at their destination but Princess' seemed to be sending their victims into quarantine hotels ashore. On the other hand Celebrity on my 18 June cruise had a policy of allowing positive testers to remain on board until they tested negative - there were as far as I know minimal numbers of sick on that cruise, if any. Whilst not ideal, the latter at least had less personal and financial impact on individuals.

 

Which brings us to loading levels and their affect on possible covid quarantines.  The number of passengers on the Princess cruise we were on was quite high, the second leg increasing by a further 1,000 to virtually maximum capacity.  This would leave little room to allow victims to isolate on board with the inevitable consequence that positive testers on turnaround day would have to leave the ship.  Again the Celebrity cruise had a far lower number sailing so could comfortably let victims remain on board to complete quarantine.

 

Going forward into the Autumn and Winter sailings P&O are going to have far more passengers on fly cruises with Azura and Britannia busy in the Canaries and Caribbean followed by Arvia arriving and their handling of this is going to be the make or break on people's attitude to reporting symptoms. As I understand it there is a push to have these sailings as near capacity as possible so any policies for them will need to be robust and passenger centric to maintain confidence in booking.

 

The other thing looming on the horizon is the review of the cruising with confidence programmes.  Currently they run until the end of September and presumably are being discussed now.  How many people will be willing to take the risk of booking a cruise under "normal" booking conditions, ie only able to move to a higher fare voyage, 15% deposits, no FCC if you cannot sail but a claim on your insurance (and your policy may be one of those not covering that scenario) and basically all the onus passed back on to the passenger?

 

Celebrity have already announced their equivalent scheme ends on 30 September.  No doubt the other companies are looking long and hard at that idea.  The future passengers have a very big amount of things to consider regarding covid.

 

The normal terms that cruises were sold under pre pandemic were weighted entirely against the customer and the passengers' reliance on their insurance as a result.  These insurers now have amended policies which weigh very heavily against the claimants.  The cruise lines in their rush to return to normality should perhaps bear this in mind.   Once passengers lose the current flexibility they may not be so keen to commit.

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Megabear2

[Cathygh]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

One of the main reasons why people will not report Covid symptoms, is that social media is full of complaints from cruisers who have tested positive, been moved to isolation cabins, and then been treated in a very poor fashion.

Long waits for food and drink, food arriving cold,  no internet access etc.

And these complaints are common for the majority of cruise lines.

Theoretically,  if I had a "sniffle" would I report it, knowing the repercussions if I did so ?

If cruise lines provided full room service to Covid victims, plus full cash repayment for days spent in quarantine,  people would be more likely to come forward. 

 

Yes I agree. My husband had a runny nose and was shocked when he tested positive. We did have a long think about whether we should report it or not and "doing the right thing" won out.  One of the positives of our confinement on our Enchanted Princess cruise was that room service was efficient. But at the time the staff to passenger ratio was almost 1:1 so you would expect it to be fine. We are due an FCC for our days in quarantine but 6 weeks on  there is no sign of it. 

[arlowood]

Hi there

 

Interested to hear from anyone currently on Arcadia for the British Isles cruise (J213).

 

Information from at least one poster on this thread suggested that things on the previous cruise were a cause for concern. Mainly there seemed to be extra long waits for tables in the MDR if you were on Freedom Dining.

 

I'm not sure if this comment was representative of the whole cruise or just a temporary blip in the staffing  organisation.

 

Also are the speciality restaurants still closed?

 

We sail on Arcadia on 30th August when hopefully things might have settled down so I'm keen to hear any progress reports from those on board

[mickey1959]

On 7/5/2022 at 3:40 PM, PJ's said:

I do hope that they get sorted out with regards staffing as we are on her in October and do look forward to going to the speciality restaurants especially Ocean Grill.

On her now every thing is great.

[BouncingWheel]

1 hour ago, mickey1959 said:

On her now every thing is great.

Fantastic news. Enjoy your holiday.

[paulatsea]

1 hour ago, mickey1959 said:

On her now every thing is great.

Brilliant !!!! So glad. 

[mickey1959]

59 minutes ago, BouncingWheel said:

Fantastic news. Enjoy your holiday.

Thank you weather is great also.

[Billish]

2 hours ago, mickey1959 said:

On her now every thing is great.

Pleased for you. Are both the specialty restaurants now open ?